1. Field of the Invention
This application is an improvement of the parent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/983,282 filed Oct. 23, 2001. This invention relates to a manual straight razor having double-sided razor blades, and more particularly to in-line double-sided straight razor blades having dual razor-sharp cutting edges positioned at front and rear guards which can easily be used both by professionals and at-home users either by pulling or pushing a razor blade strip for precise and safe shaving of hair from the face and other body regions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are different kinds of razors, such as professional use, home use or disposable razors on the market. Since a sharp blade of a razor is used in direct contact with the skin to remove hair from the skin, vigilant attention must be given to shaving.
In order to avoid a possible accidental cut, nick or scrape when using a straight razor, especially when in the hands of home users rather than a professional such as a barber or beautician, T-bar razors have been widely used and are still in use.
Since the advent of blood-transmitted communicable diseases such as AIDS, the HIV virus, hepatitis and other serious diseases, there is a serious social problem. Even a trained professional such as barbers or beauticians will from time to time accidentally cut, nick or scrape the skin of their customers with razors, causing some minor bleeding. Barbers, beauticians and healthcare workers are reluctant to come into contact with blood from others, and tend to avoid tasks where such contact is likely.
Under the above circumstances, sharpening a razor blade edge of a Western manual straight razor on a razor strop or a whetstone has been remarkably decreased, and special sterilization by a public health center has recently been made obligatory for professional razors used in barbershops or beauty parlors. In barbershops or beauty parlors, the used razors are usually disinfected in a sterilization chamber or sterilized in a disinfectant including invert soap, disinfecting ethanol etc.
In order to avoid an accidental cut, nick or scrape of the skin, vigilant attention from the skilled barber or beautician is not sufficient, and so a safety razor with which such accidental cuts are not possible is required. Furthermore, it is usual for a barber or beautician to shave a face with a razor which is pulled or pushed into a fan-like or arch-like direction by a wrist motion.
This inventor has proposed the manual straight razor having double-sided razor blades (Japanese Patent Application No. 234215/2001). An elongated wide opening is formed longitudinally in an upper part of the elongated front handle portion. The insides of an elongated rectangular wide opening and the corresponding insides of a complementary razor holding structure are parallel with each other so that a pair of razor blades is likely off the elongated rectangular wide opening of the holder.
Conventionally fixed at the holder is the razor blade, only the front edge of which is used. When the front portion of the blade has lost its edge, the razor blade itself is scraped and has to be exchanged with a new one. In addition, when the straight edge of a razor blade is laid down, a long or short mustache cannot be shaved efficiently. Furthermore, the soapsuds containing shaved hair and mustache, scratches and sebaceous matter are clogged into the gaps between the sides of the elongated rectangular wide opening and the sides of the complementary razor holding structure, thus causing the razor blade to lose its edge.
The double-sided straight razor of this invention is based on the applicant""s long experience as a barber, from which he has realized that an angle inclination (relative to the skin surface) of the line linking the lowest point of a rounded end of a support for the blade, which is to contact the skin, must have an angle between 20 and 30 degrees when the razor blade is held perpendicular to the skin.
It should be understood that if the angle of inclination of the line linking the lowest point on a blade edge of a razor and the point of the support which is to contact the skin is less than 20 degrees relative to the skin surface when the blade is held perpendicular thereto, a shaving angle of the blade edge in use is too low so that it scrapes the skin, thus causing insufficient shaving of facial hair. If, however, the inclination angle is over 30 degrees, the blade edge presents a sharp edge and can cut the skin accidentally.
(1) U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,290 issued to Edward A. Andrews discloses a double-sided straight razor blade having dual razor-sharp cutting edges positioned at front and rear guards, and an in-line handle, which can easily be gripped for precise shaving of the face and other body regions. This double-sided straight razor has four razor strips, which cannot be used both for pull and push shavings.
(2) The Japanese Patent Publication No. 114246/1999 (not examined) discloses a change blade-type razor and a method of shaving the face and other body regions, with which a safe and slant shaving can be easily carried out even by an unskilled user.
(3) The Japanese Patent Publication No. 277369/1994 (not examined) shows a wet-type razor device 1 which comprises a long handle portion, and a shaving portion mounted to the long handle portion by fixing parts for shaving hair from the face and other body regions.
(4) The Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 11674/1994 (not examined) discloses a safety razor having double-sided straight razor blades, which comprises a handle portion, an elongated cutter portion, and a pair of razor blades provided at both sides of a back portion of the front cutter portion. A plane linking the belly of the front cutter portion extending to the back portion including a pair of razor blade strips and a plane linking the razor blade strips and the back portions are substantially parallel to eachother.
(5) The razor shown in the Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 104770/1987 (not examined) has a handle portion, a pair of connecting portions, a pair of support portions, a pair of blade strips held into the support portions, and a sponge inserted between the blade strips and the support portions.
(6) The razor holder described in the Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 104770/1987 (not examined) includes a handle portion having a holder, which comprises a groove so that a razor blade strip can be easily made.
A principal object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades that can easily be gripped both by professionals and home users for easy, precise and safe shaving of hair from the face and other body regions.
Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided razor blades with which an accidental cut, nick or scrape of the skin can be avoided to prevent infection of blood-infected communicable diseases such as AIDS, the HIV virus, hepatitis and other serious diseases.
Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided razor blades, in which the angle of inclination of a line linking the lowest point on each respective razor blade and the lowest point on a rounded elongated lower member portion is between 20 and 30 degrees with respect to the skin surface in order to fit the razor blades on the face of the skin with a shallow angle of inclination for shaving.
Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades, in which both of the angles of inclination of lines linking each razor blade and a rounded elongated lower member portion of a complementary razor holding structure is between 20 and 30 degrees with respect to the skin in order to enable a user either to pull or push the razor blades on the surface of the skin.
Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades, in which a number of parallel, arched or slanting grooves are provided along a rounded V-shaped lower member of a complementary razor holding structure so that the soapsuds containing shaved hair and mustache, scratches and sebaceous matter are introduced through these grooves and kept temporarily in the gaps between a pair of two razor blades and the V-shaped lower member in order not to lose the edge of the razor blade.
Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades, in which the soapsuds containing shaved hair and mustache, scratches and sebaceous matter which are temporarily kept in the gaps between a pair of two razor blades and the V-shaped lower member can be easily rinsed away in flowing water or liquid medicine in order not to lose the edge of the razor blade.
Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades, in which the soapsuds containing shaved hair and mustache, scratches and sebaceous matter are not clogged around a pair of razor blades and the V-shaped lower member in order not to lose the edge of the razor blade.
Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades, in which a pair of razor blades is not off the elongated rectangular wide opening of the holder.
Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades, in which front and rear portions of the razor blades can easily be turned around to draw a figure of in order to extend the life of the razor blade.
Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades, in which a front portion of each razor blade can easily be changed by arranging it in the opposite direction in order to extend the life of the razor blade.
Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades which can easily be used both by professionals and home users either by pulling or pushing the razor for easy, precise and safe shaving of hair from the face and other body regions.
Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades which can easily be pulled or pushed by a wrist motion of a user.
Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having a fingertip dent a neck portion of an elongated front cutter portion, in which a complementary razor holding structure attached to a pair of razor blades on both sides of the structure can easily be slid into or pulled out of an elongated wide opening of the elongated front cutter portion.
Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades, in which a correct angle of inclination of a pair of razor blades can easily be applied to a face or other body regions.
Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades, which is simple in construction, so that it can be easily made.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades whereby many individuals prefer to use the professional services of a barber or beautician of a facial shaving without anxiety.